Checking In

JiET-A Program Picks Up Speed
Officials from the Rockford, Ill.-based Joint Institute of Engineering and Technology – Aerospace (JiET-A) have announced that the institute has received more than 100 applicants since it began last September.

The aerospace industry is currently fighting a shortage of engineers, scientists, and technicians. However, analysts in the aerospace industry forecast that more than 30,000 new airplanes will be delivered during the next 20 years.

In an effort to increase the aerospace talent pipeline, JiET-A program combines three components: academics; real-world experience through internships, mentorships, and scholarships; and employment by local aerospace companies.

After hitting the half-year mark, program numbers include:

• 107 student applications
• 48 accepted students
• 20 student internships at local companies through JiET-A program
• Two students hired for full-time employment at local aero space companies

JiET-A is driven by the Rockford Area Aerospace Network (RAAN), a committee that was formed in 2010 to gain more high-paying jobs and increase business opportunities for aerospace suppliers in the area. http://jiet.aero; http://bit.ly/XP11gj

Methods Machine Tools Donates to School
Methods Machine Tools recently donated the use of a FEELER VMP-580 CNC vertical machining center and a FEELER HT30-Y turning center to Ivy Tech Community College, Warsaw, IN, for use in their Orthopedic and Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (OAMTC). Methods is providing the new machines to Ivy Tech for instructional use in its curriculum during the 2012-13 academic year, and intends to replace the machines with the latest models in subsequent academic years.

According to Ivy Tech North Central Chancellor Thomas Coley, “This generous donation from Methods ensures that Ivy Tech students will always be training on the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment available. Coursework and training at the OAMTC already meets rigorous standards and students will now have the added value of experience on always-current machines. Employers who hire our graduates will also see the benefit of new employees who have a wider range of machine-related experience.”

www.methodsmachine.com; www.ivytech.edu

AeroLED Enters Air Show Business
The producer of FAA TSO certified ALL-LED Navigation lights, AeroLED, has placed products into a dual jet aircraft routine called Red Star and the Dragon. The routine features pilots Andy Anderson and Jerry Conley flying the BAC-167 Strikemaster and Viper 29 in the only two-jet air show east of the Mississippi River.

Conley, an aeronautical engineer, has designed special housings for the lights, which are used to light the smoke trails of the jets during twilight and evening shows that use powerful pyrotechnics. For the Viper 29, Conley converted all the original Russian receptacles and repositioned the landing light to account for drag. On Anderson’s aircraft, the intense heat of the old incandescent bulbs also raised issues on the ground for his jet, which the LEDs ameliorated. With repositioning, the two aircraft now have symmetrical headlight beams dramatically illuminating a dark, night sky. www.aeroleds.com

Okuma Opens New Tech Center in Mexico
Okuma America Corp. has opened its first international tech center in Monterrey, Mexico.

Located in what is known as the Industrial Capital of Mexico, the 25,000ft² Okuma Mexico Tech Center, which also serves as headquarters for HEMAQ, allows manufacturers to experience the excellence and quality of Okuma CNC machine tools by participating in live, hands-on cutting demonstrations.

The facility enables customers to improve their productivity by testing different technologies and processes, as well as through training opportunities. In addition, the center provides turnkey services, including runoffs with access to metrology equipment, ready inventory of cutting tools, process analysis for CNC machine selection, simulation machine tools for training, and support from onsite application engineers. www.okuma.com/americas

Element Materials Technologies Acquires Sherry Laboratories
Element Material Technology recently acquired Sherry Laboratories, one of the largest independent materials testing businesses in the United States.

The transaction will add nearly 300 specialized staff and 10 facilities to Element’s existing network of 30 laboratories, making Element America’s largest dedicated aerospace materials testing company.

The acquisition reinforces Element’s core growth objective, which is to provide a materials testing service focused specifically on the aerospace, oil and gas, transportation, and power generation sectors.

Sherry, headquartered in Daleville, Ind., provides a broad range of testing services to the aerospace, oil & gas, and power generation industries. The 66-year-old company has laboratories supporting more than 6,000 clients throughout Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

This deal follows a number of acquisitions in the last 15 months by Element, including MAR-TEST of Cincinnati, Ohio; Detroit Testing Laboratories of Warren, Mich.; and U.K.-based polymer engineering and testing specialists MERL. www.element.com

Kennametal Launches Free iPad App
Kennametal, a Partners in THINC member, now offers a free iPad App – Kennametal Innovations. The App features interactive animations of Kennametal’s productivity-enhancing technologies for CNC machining and industrial processes. Available at the iTunes App Store, it brings to life some of Kennametal’s latest metalworking tooling technologies for turning, drilling, indexable milling, solid end milling, and tooling systems.

Key features of the App:

• Product animations provide clear visual representations of CNC machining processes with direct links to detailed in formation;
• A navigation map offers drop-down menus with supplemental information, including expandable and customizable charts and graphs;
• User-driven navigation with selectable data provides quick, convenient comparisons to complementary and competitive products; and
• Animated demonstrations provide valuable, real-world experience of the tooling technologies in actual use.

www.kennametal.com; http://bit.ly/16hvZxO

First Phase of MTConnect Challenge Opens
The first phase of a competition that could result in real-world benefits to manufacturing intelligence is underway.

The MTConnect Challenge, sponsored by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining and the MTConnect Institute, is intended to foster greater interoperability between manufacturing equipment, devices, and software applications.

The initial phase runs through the end of May, and winners will be announced June 21, 2013. The entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Benefit to manufacturing intelligence
• Creativity and innovation
• Practicality of concept
• Impact on industry
• Overall quality

Challenge 2, targeting software applications, will take place in January 2014. More details can be found here: http://mtconnect.challenge.gov/.